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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mouse · sharp · march · game · lash · root · race · snap

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. race — the arms race
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. game — a match
  6. game — wild animals
  7. race — a contest
  8. march — the month
  9. race — humankind
  10. sharp — clever
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. march — music
  13. root — of a plant
  14. march — the month
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. snap — to click
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. root — the cause
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. mouse — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com